After breaking a 33-year-old state record to win the long jump championship on Friday, Vista Ridge star Brandon Hills added the title of Fastest in Colorado to his resume on Saturday.
Hills won the Class 5A 100-meter dash in 10.52 and threw his arms in the air in triumphant celebration after crossing the finish line to edge Cherokee Trail sophomore Peyton Sommers. Sommers had Colorado’s best time coming into the state meet, a 10.50 he ran at last weekend’s Centennial League championships to knock Hill off the top of the rankings, but Sommers ran 10.62 on Saturday to finish runner-up.
“(Sommers’ time) motivated me, but I reminded myself it’s not about what other people run,” Hills said. “I wanted to run my best race in the moment. So I wasn’t worried too much about it. I beat him head-to-head earlier this year, but I was just trying to focus on my own race.”
Sommers got Hills back in the 200-meter dash, edging Hills 21.10 to 21.12. Mark down Sommers, who headlined Cherokee Trail’s third team boys state championship, as the favorite in the 5A sprints for the next couple of years.
Meanwhile, Hills walked away from his final high school meet with three golds (he also ran anchor on the winning 400-meter relay, which turned in a 41.29) in addition to his silver in the 200. The Washington State football commit said it’s still up in the air whether he also does track in college.
“We’ll see, but I’m thinking about it,” Hills said.
In the other boys 100-meter dashes, Lutheran junior Joseph Ciccio set a Class 4A record with his 10.53; Jefferson Academy senior Chrisly Kelly-Cannon edged Montezuma-Cortez senior Zander Cruzan in the 3A race, 10.604 to 10.605; Peyton junior Landon Hadley won 2A (11.11); and Denver Academy junior Dj Harris won 1A (11.15).
Bair burns up the track. Mountain Vista has long been a powerhouse in distance running, both in cross-country and track. But Golden Eagles senior Rachel Bair gave the Golden Eagles their first-ever girls champion in the sprints. Bair ran 11.82 to win the 100 meters and 56.05 to win the 400. The Utah commit narrowly missed out on sweeping the sprints titles, taking runner-up in the 200-meters (24.78) to Erie junior Myla Wilkes (24.18). Bair helped the Golden Eagles to a third-place team finish.
Class 5A champions. While coach Chris Faust led Cherokee Trail to the Class 5A boys crown, the Valor Christian girls won their fourth title in the Eagles’ last five meets (one of which was a 4A crown). Valor Christian (84 points) held off a late charge from runner-up Grandview (77). The Eagles boys finished runner-up to CT, who won with 74 points to Valor Christian’s 58. Cherokee Trail, which set the state record in the 1,600-meter relay last weekend, won the 800-meter relay title on Friday (1:25.65) with Sommers as the anchor. Hills and Vista Ridge were tied for third with Erie at 51 points.
Niwot girls dynasty. The Niwot girls won their seventh Class 4A title in the last 10 state meets. The Cougars crushed the competition with 154 points; Mesa Ridge finished second with 67 points. Senior Madison Shults, a Stanford pledge, won the 400-meters (55.76) and 800 (2:08.90); senior Kimora Northrup won the 100-meter hurdles (14.43) and 300-meter hurdles (43.05); and the Cougars also won the 1,600-meter relay (3:52.76), among other highlights for the powerhouse.
Mesa Ridge’s standout. Senior Janise Everett, a Colorado State-Pueblo commit, had herself a Saturday. Everett won the Class 4A title in the 100 meters (12.07) and the 200 (24.87) to go along with her gold she earned as the anchor in Friday’s 800-meter relay. Everett’s Mesa Ridge teammates also set a 4A record on Saturday while capturing the 400-meter relay crown in 47.21.
Lower-class team champions. In addition to Niwot, Lutheran won the 4A boys crown; Classical Academy won 3A boys and Alamosa won 3A girls; Peyton won 2A boys and Dayspring Christian won 2A girls; Cheraw won 1A boys and Merino won 1A girls.
